If we are robbed repeatedly by the same suspect, it is our intelligence that is suspect
Suppose we are robbed and the prime suspect is a shady neighbor. We would confront them to recover what had been stolen. Or at least, [...]
Resilience comes when we accept what is unchangeable, but don’t accept that everything is unchangeable
What makes some people resilient and some people weak? It’s primarily their vision when things go wrong. Life is tough. Everyone faces adversities. At such [...]
When work doesn’t work, detachment works
Sometimes, we work at something, yet nothing seems to work. We struggle to improve a relationship, but things keep going south. What can we do [...]
Just as bigotry can blind emotionally, ideology can blind intellectually
In today’s social justice ethos, if someone makes a racist or sexist statement, they are called out immediately. Prejudices of any kind are frowned upon. [...]
The mind overpowers us by making us believe that we are powerless
Suppose a person about to confront an opponent is told that their opponent is so powerful that fighting is fruitless. If the fighter believes that [...]
Opinions are like onions – know when they need to be sealed and when peeled
When we have an opinion about something, we may hold on to that opinion irrationally, even if it exasperates those around us. We can understand [...]
Reason can’t reach beyond reason, but it can give us reason to reach beyond reason
Reason, or our rational faculty, is said to be the foundation of the scientific method that has dramatically transformed the way we interact with the [...]
Seek God’s help for doing his will, or you will need his help to get out of the trouble you get into because of not doing his will
Suppose a mildly sick patient has to take a bitter medicine. If they reject that medicine, their sickness will worsen. When they become unbearably sick, [...]
Seeking requires believing: believing that something worth seeking exists and that we have the capacity to find it
Some people say, “Be a seeker, not a believer.” This differentiation rests on the notion that believers are sentimental and gullible, whereas seekers are intellectual [...]
The night after a quake, the stars still shine in the sky – don’t let the misery of your life blind you to the beauty of life
Suppose a deadly quake has hit a place, leaving it in ruins. If we gaze at all the debris, the sight can be depressing, even [...]
Fanatics use God’s name to give God a bad name
The news often reports how religious fanatics kill innocent people and justify their barbarity in the name of God. Such reports, coupled with ghastly imagery, [...]
Those who don’t respect themselves are most agitated when others don’t respect them
When others disrespect us, we naturally feel hurt. But some people go beyond feeling hurt to wanting to hurt others, and hurt them disproportionately. Why [...]
We have to risk going too far to know how far we can go
Suppose we are seeking something that requires effort and involves risk. When we start stretching ourselves, others may caution us, “You are going too far [...]
More damaging than the lies we tell others are the lies we tell ourselves
Suppose someone has diabetes and they secretly eat desserts. If they lie to their caregivers about what they are doing, that’s bad; they will worsen [...]
To savor what is most sweet, we often need to shed the most sweat
If we want to eat food, we need to earn it. If we want to eat sweet food, we need to pay more, that is, [...]
Some people get many insights from one sight, others don’t get even one insight from many sights
Some people learn so much from small incidents in daily life, whereas others forget the lessons learned through big blunders. Why the difference? Are some [...]
To live life fully, leave life regularly – take breaks before life breaks you
Suppose we use a machine continuously without turning it off. If it’s not given enough time off, it will deteriorate rapidly. Downtime is essential for [...]
We relapse not because we are witless or will-less, but because we are weapon-less
When we make resolutions to give up some unhealthy indulgence, we often relapse. On succumbing thus, we may berate ourselves for being witless: “How could [...]
Be childlike, not childish
Children have a charm to them. They have an innocence and freshness to them that lightens and brightens the world around them. They bring out [...]
Gita 09.05 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now the next verse reveals [...]
Appreciating others’ achievement fosters extrinsic self-worth, appreciating their commitment fosters intrinsic self-worth
Suppose we are guiding someone, as when we are parents guiding our children. Guiding involves both correcting and appreciating: correcting them when they do something [...]